Record support for phonographs



June 27, 1931i. K c, HUENLICH ,91`5,494

RECORD SUPPORT FOR PHONOGRAPHS Filed NOV. 28, 1931 INVENTOR Ciharlcs H uen lich ATTORN EY Patented June 27, 1933 UN''ED STATES PATENT OFFC CHARLES HUEN LI-, OF BLOOMFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 THOMAS A. EDISON, INCORPORATED, OF WEST ORANGE, NEXV JERSEY, A CORPORATON OF NEW JERSEY RECORD SUPPORT EGR PHONOGRAPHS Application filed November 28, 1931.

This invention relates to record supports or mandrels, and more particularly to improved record supports or mandrels for phonographs. -5 Ordinarily commercial phonographs employ cylindrical records or tablets which are adapted to be supported by rotary supports or mandre-ls and to be firmly or loosely mounted by reason of the expansion or conl traction of certain parts or members of the supports. For illustration, the present invention is shown applied to a phonograph record support of the type disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 1,213,197, to Newman H. Holland, granted January 23, 1917. However, this improvement maybe applied equally as well to all types of supports wherein the installation or removal of the sound record is accomplished by contracting a record engaging portion or portions of said supports. Record supports of this type are known in the art as collapsible mandrels and have been developed mainly to avoid difhculties arising from the fact that wax records are susceptible to expansion and contraction under temperature variations. Collapsible mandrels such as disclosed in the Holland patent referred to, avoid such difficulties by providing a supportin which the record engaging means are yieldingly mounted for movement toward and away from the axis of the support. However, the construction shown in said patent is open to the objection that manipulation of the end knob is necessary each time a record is applied to the support and is again necessary each time a record-is removed.

The principal object of my invention is to provide, in a support of this general character, a construction in which after the removal of a record therefrom, the necessity of a. second manipulation of the mandrel when a new record is placed thereon, is eliminated.

Another object of my invention is to provide a. construction which insures the positioning of a record cylinder at a predeter- Serial N0. 577,756.

ter, facilitating such application, and will thereafter effect the expansion of the mandrel, preferably upon the cylinder reaching a given position lengthwise on the mandrel.

A still further obj ect of my invention is to prevent the application of a record to the support unless the latter is collapsed.

Other objects and features of my invention will appear more clearly from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing and the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a front elevation, partly broken away, of a phonograph structure provided with one form of a record support or mandrel embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the record support shown in Fig. l, with the parts in the positions they occupy when a record has been mounted thereon; 30

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the support taken on line 3 3 of Fig. o;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a detailed elevation view;

Fig. 6 is an elevational view partly in section showing a modified form of record support in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on line 7 7 of Fig. 6; v 90 Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view of a part of the structure shown 1n Fig. 6; and Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the double arm latching member employed in the support shown in Fig. 6.

The phonograph to which my invention is shown applied in 1, is of welly known construction and comprises a bed plate 1 provided with standards 2 and 3. Supported at one end in the standard 3 is a stationary tube or sleeve 4 secured rigidly in positionby a set screw or equivalent means 5. The driv ing shaft 6 of the phonograph is mounted to extend through the tube 4e, the left hand end ofv said shaft (Fig. 2) being rotatable within a. bearing 7 in the corresponding end of the tube or sleeve 4. A knurled nut 8 secured to the right hand end of the shaft 6, as shown in Fig. v2, engages the corresponding end of a tube 17 and cooperates with the i end portion 18, engaging the end of the sleeve 4, to prevent the shaft 6 from shifting longitudinally with reference to the tube 4. Power is transmitted to the driving shaft of the phonographby means kof a belt (not shown) encircling a pulley 10 rotatable on the shaft 11, which latter is securedin the standard A2 by a set screw or equivalent means. Any means may be provided to prevent 'laterkal movement of the pulley 10, such as a'set screw 10 4fitting in an annular groove ((not shown) in the shaft 11. The shaft 11 is axially inl line with shaft 6, to'which it is adapted tobe connected by a cluteh15, one member of which is slidable back and forth upon the enlarged portion 9 of the driving shaft 6. vGear 16 is secured to the said shaft portion 9; andfrom this gear, by connections (not shown)` the feed screw of the phonograph isdriven in the usual manner.

The record support or mandrel proper has a tubular shaft 17 which is rotatably mounted upon the sleeve 4- by means of k,bearings 13 and 14 and is provided with a reduced right hand end portion18 to cooperate with the sleeve 4 and the nut 8 to prevent longitudinal movement ofthe shaft. The reduced portion 18 is slotted to receivea pin 18 carried by the drive shaftv6, and thus the` shaftr 17 is caused to rotate with the shaft 6.

Reference characters 19 and 20 represent a pairof adjacent flanges or discs mounted onthe shaft 17 adjacent its left handY end, the disc 19 beingtloose on theshaft and the disc 20 being secured thereto by a setk screw-21 passing through the collar 22, preferably formed integrally with the latter disc. The discs 19 and V2O are preferably of the saine diameter and are resiliently connected, preferably b f means of a spiral spring23 having bent enc s respactively.,Y engaging in openings provided therefor in the respective flanges or discs. The faceof disc 19 adjacent disc 20 is preferably provided. with a depression or circular recess 26 within which the spring23 is located, whereby the discs may be maintained in close proximity to each other, as shown in Fig. 2. Disc 20 is provided with a number of similar and equally spaced slots 27, and disc 19 with a corresponding number of slots 28 of the same size as slots 27 and respectively cooperating therewith in the manner-about to be set forth. The outer Walls of all the slots 27 and 28 are located at the saine distance from the axis of the shaft 6, slots 27 being arranged radially of the axis of the support, while the slots 28 in disc 19 are preferably arranged at acute and equal angles to the slots 27, as shown in Fig.

3. This arrangement of the discs 19 and 20 ed tov engage the bore of a phonograph rceord cylinder A. Rods 29 are preferably cylindrical and correspond in number to the number of slots 27 or 28, these rods being formed with slightly reduced cylindrical inner end portions 30 respectively engaging the cooperating pairs of slots 27 and 28 in discs 19 and 20.. The reduced portions 30-y are slightly less in diameter than the width of slots 27 and 28, whereby they may readily move therein during the manipulation of the support. Into the inner end of each rod 29 is threaded a screw 31, the head of which cooperates with the shoulder 32 formed on the rod by its reduced portion 30, to maintain disc 20 closely adjacent to disc 19 and at the same time to prevent substantial longitudinal movement of the rod 29 with respect to shaft 17. The reduced portion 30 of each rod 29 is preferably slighly greater in length than the combined thickness of discs 19 and 2O so as to permit movement of the outer end of the rod toward and away from the axis of shaft 6 about the inner end thereof. Spring 23 is so arranged that, whenever the reduced end portionsBO of rods 29 are seated in the cooperating pairs of slots 27 and 28, it will be under tension and consequently tend to turn or rotate disc 19 on shaft 17 and with respect to disc 10 in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3, and thus, by the cooperation of the walls of. the respective pairs of relatively angularly disposed slots 27 and V28 with such reduced portions 30, to maintain the inner y ends of rods 29 in their outermost positions equally spaced openings 34 disposed at equal distances from the axis ot shatt 6 and correspending in number to the slots 27 and 28. The inner walls ot opening 34 are located ",slightlynearer to the axis of shaft 6 than those of slots 27. The openings 34 extend location of the openings 34 nearer the axis ofr shaft 6 than the slots 27, the support termed rby the rods 29 has a slight taper toward vthe'outer end thereof. The nisc 33 is provided on the inner end et a tubular member 35, which is slidably mounted on the shaft 17, this member heilig preferably provided with an operating` head or knob 36. A'coil spring 3'? is disposed within the mem er 35 between the head 36 and the nut 8, and tends to hold said member and thereby the disc 33 in its outermost position. rEhe disc 33 when in this position maintains rods 29 in iirm engagement with the bore of a record rlrmoinited thereon, shown in llig, 2. Ascrew 38 (see Fig; 1) is secured to the shaft 1.7 'and its head cooperates with a longitudinal slot 39 in member to hold the dise or tlange with its openings 34 in axial alignment with the slot-s 27 in the disc or flange V19. rlhis scr-ew also serves by its engager-nent with the ends ot' said slot, to limit the axial movement ot the member 35 and thereby of iiange or disc 33.

rlhe relative location of the slots 27 in liange 19 and the openings 34 in the iange or disc 33, is such that when the inner ends of rods 29 are substantially in engagement with the outer `walls oi slots 27, and the flange 33 is in its outermost position., the taper of the support formed by rods 29 substantially conr g forms to the taper of the bore of the record A, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Moreover, the support is so designed that when the parts are in the positions just described, the bore otl a record placed-thereon will tightly engage the rods 29 when the inner end of the record is still Aa slight distance lfrom the disc 19. lt is evident that an inward pressure on record A suiilcient to cause movement ot the inner end oi any of the rods' 29 towards the axis of toe support will, by reason of the engagement of the rods with the respective pairs ot relatively inclined slots 27 and 23, cause rotation of disc 19 with respect to disc 2O in a direction opposite the arrow shown in Fig. 3 and thereby cause a like movement of therest oi the rods 29. By reason of the relative arrangement of the radial slots 27 in disc 10,

and the inclined slotsQS in disc 19, rods 29 will be caused to move simultaneously and uniformly toward or .away Jfrom the axis of the support, according to the direction of ro-t tation of disc 19.

The parts thus far described are substantially similar to those disclosed in the patent to Holland mentioned above. From the foregoing it will be readily understood that when it is desired to remove a record from the support, the knob 36 must be pressed or moved toward the lett in order to release the gripping pressure exerted by the rods 29 on the bore of the record, this pressure arising from the action ot spring urged flange 33 upon the inclined or tapered portions 40 of rods 29. Similarly, when a record A is to be mounted on the support it becomes necessary to again press knob 3G inwardly to collapse rods 29 so as to permit the record to be moved to a position on the support where it engages disc 20. As hereinbefore stated, it is the prime object of my invention to eliminate this latter manipulation, and one means for edeeting this result in the particular form of supports or mandrel above described, will now be explained. Y

Secured to the knob 3G by a screw 41 is a long sleeve 42 extending towards the discs 19 and 20 and having a collar 43.at its extremity,this collarbeing provided with an inclined tace 44 and a vertical side 45 adapted` to cooperate with a latching member 46 which is pivoted at 47 on a lug 43 formed integrally with the disc 20. F rom Figs.r 2 and 3 it will be noted that the member 46 pivots at both sides of the lug 43 upon a pin 49 and that the mid-section oi the lug is cut out to receive a coil spring 5() tor urging the latch in a clockwise direction and its righthand or latching end towards the shaft 17 for engagement with the collar 43 of sleeve 42. The latching member 46 is provided at the left of its pivot with an upwardly ext-ending end portion 51 which norn'ially is in a position located in the path ot' a record being applied to the support. T he disc 2O is provided with a notch 52 adapted to receive the extension `51 when a record is moved to its full operative position on the support. Vihen no record is on the support, the parts normally occupy the positions shown in Fig. 1, the tubular member 35 then being held adjacent the inner limit of its axial n'iovement and the rods 29 collapsed and ready to receive a record Without pressing the member inwardly any farther.

llfhen the parts are in the positions just deeribed it will be seen that accidental trippingl oit the latching member 46 would release sleeve 42 and member 35 and thereby result in the expansion oit the supporting rods 29. This would be objectionable as a record is ordinarily moved to position over the support with the rods 29 collapsed and any at tempt to push a record to full operative position on the support with the rods expanded,

vwould be almost sure to result in the record ies being broken or seriously damaged. To

eliminate the possibility of an operator fore ing a record upon the support when the parts arenot -properly positioned toreceive the same, the following precautionary construction has been provided: Radially and pivotallyimounted on the member by means of 'the lugs 55 are a number of obstructing pawls or. fingers 56, which are respectively aligned with the ends of the rods 29 and are adapted to cooperate therewith, as seen in kFig. 4. Each of the supporting lugs`55 is slotted at mid-'section and a coil spring 57 isl disposed in the slot and about the pivot. pin

', ofthe corresponding pawl or i'inger56, which f spring has its ends bearing against the lug and thepawl and constantly tends to urge the pawl towards the corresponding rod 29 and f away from tlie member 35. If the. latching member 46 is accidentally displaced and disengagement of shoulders 59 thereof with the lugsv 55. 4As the'dianieter of the circle definedby the oiitei."eiids ofthe pawls 56 is then greater than the bore of the cylindrical records, the application of a record on the suport is ievented until the member 35 is aOain moved inwardly and retained in that position bythe latching member 16.l Possible damage to records is thus eliminated.

Figs. 6 7. Sand 9 shou7 a modified form of my invention applied to thesame type of recordA support as described above. The description of theV parts employed in this modification will now fellow.

Referring to Fig. 6, it Will be noted that a slidable tubular member 60 is connected to the flange 33 and is provided at its left hand end with an enlarged portion 61 adaptedfto cooperate with another slidable hollow cylindrical member 62. A coil spring 63 constantly tends to hold member 62 in engagement With the enlarged end portion 61 of member 60, as shown inFig. 6. The member 62 is provided with a flange 64T suitably notched at 65 to receive the rods 29 and has radially ef'- tending portionsA or fingers 66 adapted to be engaged by a record on the support. The notches 65 prevent lrotation of the flange 64 andr thereby member 62 in respect to the shaft 17. The disc 20, in this instance, is provided with three notches 67 kfor the reception of fingers 66 so that the flange 64 may be moved close 'tolsaid disc withsaid fingers substantially flush with the latter, thus providing foi movement of a record on the support to its full operative position- Pivotally mounted at diametrically opposite points on the member 62 is a double-armed latch 68 which has a semi-circular connecting band 69 and is normally urged upwardly by a. spring 70. y The end portion 61 of tubular member 60 is provided witli diametrically disposed vertically extending slots 71 adapted to register with the ends of the latch 68. When the parts assume the positions shown in Fig. 6, the ends of latch 68 will engage, through the openin s 1, Vthe head portion 61 and thereby Vho d these'parts together. Extending longitudinally of the support and within the member 62 is a pin 72 which is secured to the disc 20 and is adapted to engage at times with the band 69, this engagement being made possible by an opening 73 in the right hand wall of the member 62. 4Alignment ofthe member 61 in respect to the member 62 is maintained by means of the set screw 38 and the slot 39 of the tubular member 35 previously described. The structure just described and embodied in this forni of my invention is operated as follows: The support with the parts positioned as shoiviiin F ig. 6, is ready for the reception of a cylinder. It will be noted that the member 35 is in its koutermost position and that the rods 29 are fully expanded. Upon pushing a cylinder or record on the support it will engage the fingers 66 of flange 64 before it has been advanced far enough along the support to be gripped by the tapered structure formed by the rods 29. Further pressure on the record will then cause the member to be moved toward the left and to carry vwith it, by reason of its latched connection therewith, the member 60 and the operating nieniber35. Such movement of iember 35 effects the contraction of rods 29, and consequently the cylinder may be pushed up all thek way to the left end of the support and against the disc 20 without any direct movement or manipulation of the member 35. However, approximately at the end of this movement of the record the pin 72 will pass through the opening 73 in the member 62 and will engage and trip latch 68 thereby releasing the tubular member 60 from its connection with member 62; l'Under the influence of the heavy spring 37, the operating member will then be moved to the right and effect the expansion of rods29 to hold the record A firmly on the support.

lVhen it yis desired to remove the record, the member 35 is ressed or moved toward the left, causing t e tubular member 60 toy slide along the member l7. This operation contracts the rods 29 sufficiently so that the record will-be fairly loose thereon whereupon the spring 63, if the left hand end of the enlarged portion 61 of member 60 is not already iii engagement with the opposed annu-L lar surface of member 62, will move the lateon ter slightly to the right until suchk engagement is eiected. Such movement of member 62 will, of course, also be imparted to the record A by the fingers 66. 'Ihe hook or latching ends of latch 68 will then have passed through slots 7l and be slightly to the right et the shoulder of member 60 in which such slots are provided. Upon now removact to move member 60 to the right andv member will under the action of spring 63, follow member 60 in such movement' until the latch disengages pin 72. Thereupon spring 70 will at once move latch 68 to its operative position to thereby connect members 60 and 62. The members 60 and 62 will then continue to move to the right'under the action of spring 37 until member 60 reaches the limit of its outermost position as determined by the engagement of the screw 36, secured to the shaft 17, with the lett hand end of slot 39 formed in the member 35 (see Fig. I). TheV parts will then be in the positions shown in Fig. 6 with the rods 29 fully expanded. 'I'he movement of member 62 to the right under the action of springs 63 and 37, as described, insures that the record A, in the operation of removing the same, will be maintained loose on the support during the expansion of rods 29 as member 35 is moved to the right by spring 37. rlhe record may now be readily slipped off the support and the latter then, be ready to receive another record.

It is understood that my invention is susceptible of embodiment in many other forms than the illustrative constructions shown and described, without departure from the scope of the appended claims.

IVhat I claim is:

l. In a record support, expansible and contract-able record engaging members which are substantially immovable lengthwise of the support, means Voperable to effect the contraction of said record engaging members to permit the removal of a record from the support, and means adapted upon such con.

traction of said record engaging members to condition the support ior the reception of another record without further manipulation than the moving of the latter record on the support to its operating position. Y

2. In apparatus of the class described, an expansible and contractable record support, a device adapted to lock the support in contracted condition, and means for effecting the operation of said device upon removal of a record from the support.

3. In a. record support, expansible and contractable record engaging members which are substantially immovable lengthwise of the support, means for expanding said members, and means'for effecting the operation of saidV expanding means by the application of a record to the support.

ing pressure `trom member 35, spring'will l. In a record support, expansible and contractable record engaging members which are substantially immovable lengthwise of the support, means for expanding said members, and means for effecting the operation of said expanding means upon a record reaching a predetermined point on said support when applied thereto.

5; In a. record support, expansible and contractable record engaging members which are substantially immovable lengthwise of the support, said members being normally in expanded condition, means for contracting said members and means for effecting the operation of said contracting means by the application of a record to the support.

6. In a record support, expansible and contractable record engaging members which are substantially immovable lengthwise of the support, means for contracting and eX- panding said record engaging members, and means for ehiecting the operation of said first means to first contract and thereafter expand said record engaging members when a record is moved over the support 1n a given direction.

7. In a record support, expansible and contractable record engaging members which are substantially immovable lengthwise of the support, means movable relatively to said members to and from position for preventing the application of a record to the support, and means tor etlectmg the movement of said preventing means to operative ,c

position when said record engaging mem bers arev expanded. y

8. In a device of the class described, an expansible record support, means comprising a spring for expanding said support, said, support' being contractable to facilitate the"V removal of a record therefrom, and means operable by said spring to apply av torce to the record tending to remove the same from the support. '9. In a device of the class described, an expansible record support, means compris- Ving a spring .forexpanding said support, said support being contractable to facilitate the removal or". a record therefrom, and means operable by said spring for moving the record along said support.

l0. In a device of the class described, an expansible and contractable record support, means :tor contracting said support to loosen .l a record mounted thereon, and means rendered operative upon the actuation of said contracting means to move the record relatively to the support to a position in which it will be loose with respect to the support `even though the latter be thereafter eX- panded.

11.v In a recordsupport, contractable and expansible record holding members biased to expanded position, manually operable l means for contracting said members to release arecord for removal thereof, retaining positioned on said members.

means for holding the members in contracted position, and means for automatically releasing said retaining means Wheny a record 1s 12. In a record support, contractable and eX ansible record enffaofin members biased D C to expanded position i for holding a record thereon, means for holding said members in contracted position during and after the rcmoval of a record from the support, and

. means for releasing the contracted members automatically by the'positioning of a record on the support. l

13. In a record support, contractable and expansible record holding members which are substantially immovable lengthwise of the support, means forcontracting said members to release and thereby permit removal of a record therefrom, and means rendered operable to expand said members byi the application of a record to the support.

14; In a record support, movable members for holding a record, means for controlling the movement of said members, and a ,device adapted to maintain said means inoperative when no record is operatively positioned on the support. f

15. In a record support, record holding members movable to and :from operative position. means vfor controlling the position of said members,an operating member for said means, and means operable by a record when moved on said members to control the operating member.

16. In combination, a record support having contractable and eXpansible record engaging members, and means associated With said support and operative to indicate the position of said members.

17. Iny a support Vfor cylindrical records,

record holding means `movable to and from operative position, a device capable of storing energy and operable by energy storedy there- 1n to move said holding means to operative pos1t1on, a member movable to effect movement of the record holding means to inoperative position, said member when so moved effecting the storing of energy in said device,

and means for releasably locking said member 1n a position wherein-energy is stored in `said device. Y 18. In a support for cylindrical records, i record holding means movable to and from operative position, a device capable of storing energy and operable by energy stored therein to move said holding means to opera- Y tive position,`and a member movable to effect ymovement of the recordv holding means to inoperative position, said member` When` so moved effecting the storing of energy in said device, said devicebeing rendered operable to move said holding means to operative position by a record in the application `thereof to the support. Y v v 

